


ShAaron 1/2

by ArtificialWick



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 12:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12457704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtificialWick/pseuds/ArtificialWick
Summary: Alaska is set up to marry, and a complete stranger too! She doesn’t like it one bit and hates the other’s ways. They decide to hate each other in hopes of getting their elders to break off the engagement. But, as it turns out, there is a lot more to her Fiance then meets the eye!





	ShAaron 1/2

**Author's Note:**

> Original A/N posted on June 10th 2017:  
> Very recently I discovered an old anime I watched as a kid (Ranma ½) and I showed it to Frida…. and one thing led to another. It is just a one-shot and it won’t get a sequel, probably. It’s not planned at least. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Feedback would be well appreciated as usual xoxo Wick

It’s about 2 in the afternoon when Alaska is first told about their visitor from Pittsburgh. Her mother calls her over into the kitchen to tell her wide-eyed, blonde haired and bow-legged daughter that they have someone coming over for dinner, someone all the way from another state. When she asks who, she is told that he’s not just a stranger but also her fiance. He is apparently the only son from a friend of her parents’, and the deal had already been made years ago.

Now that she’s eighteen, they decide to tell her, exactly one hour before his arrival and she’s everything but pleased. So much for being a closeted teen in sunny LA. Even if she’d come out, which she had been tempted to do several times, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. She knew that she didn’t have much time to argue or fight her parents on this, still in utter shock that this major life event of hers had been planned and hidden from her for years.

Now that she’s pacing through the living room, waiting for that fateful moment where the doorbell will ultimately ring and announce his arrival, she can’t help but feel her anger subside a little bit. No one knew she was gay so of course she couldn’t blame them for setting her up with a man, it was only normal. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that she thinks it’s stupid and unnecessary.

Alaska still couldn’t help but jump when she heard the voices downstairs and her parents calling her to come down. Begrudgingly stomping down the steps, her heart pounded as she wondered just what this man would be like. What deemed this man good enough for her, that even her own parents thought he was marriage material?

She was full-on expecting him to be the stereotypical hunk from next door because she’s seen enough soap operas on the tv to have planted that image inside of her own brain, but he is everything but that. He’s a bit shorter than her, with short blonde hair and big glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He was dressed elegantly enough for a first time meeting, sharp suit, hair combed back and he seemed well kept; aside from one thing alluding to his goofy personality, a black and white bandanna tucked into the hem of his blouse. The man was focused intently on what her parents were saying, until he turned and noticed Alaska coming down the stairwell. He smiled at her dopily and his eyes trailed her as she made her way down to them hesitantly.

“You must be Alaska,” he said.

Alaska finds it hard not to roll her eyes at that, such a cliche, who else has she got to be? She’s the only unintroduced one here, and had he not just heard her parents call her down? So stupid.

“Hieee,” she gives back in the nicest way possible, “I’m just going to assume that you’re Aaron then?”

“Yes, that’s me.” He shuffles his feet and looks away awkwardly. This all felt far too formal for the first time he was supposed to be meeting his future wife. All first meetings are usually awkward but this is next level awkward, almost giving Alaska second hand embarrassment.

Aaron looks at her parents, hoping they’d be adults and butt in by telling them what to do or say, but sadly, when they don’t, Aaron nervously tries to continue the conversation.

“We have a lot to plan for the big day, now don’t we?”

Alaska nods, not really wanting to carry on on that particular subject. It’s not quite sunken in that this is actually happening. She doesn’t want it to be happening and yet, it is. Her mother reads her body language, for once, and excuses both herself and her dad from the room.

“Well… sit down, the couch isn’t going to biiite,” she drags on lazily as she plops down in her dad’s brown armchair. Aaron awkwardly makes his way over to the other side of the petite living room and sits down on the very edge of the couch, looking very stiff and out of place.

When he still hasn’t said anything, Alaska decides to get straight to the point. It is so very much unlike her usual self but this is her future that is at stake and she’d rather be honest with this fellow rather than have him think she’s happy with the situation. It’s what everyone is always telling her to do, to be more direct and voice her opinion. It’s not that she’s shy but sometimes she rather ditches out of the conversation rather than to fuel it.

“Look, you’re probably really nice and all, Aaron. But, I didn’t know any of this was happening until no less than an hour ago and I feel a little bit- no, ridiculously overwhelmed. I have no idea who you are and I have no idea if I even like you, I-”

She cuts herself short, realizing she almost just came out to a random stranger. Breathing in deeply she looks up at Aaron, nervously placing her hands in her lap, waiting for him to say something.

“I don’t like it either,” he admits firstly, which Alaska is somehow glad to hear, “my parents told me about a week ago, apparently yours and mine go way back.” He shoots her an apologetic smile, probably incidentally showing the gap between his teeth; it somehow makes him look adorable, Alaska thinks to herself.

“Anyway, I probably dislike this just as much as you do but, let’s just introduce ourselves first before we jump to any damn conclusions.” Alaska is taken aback by his choice of words but isn’t shy of cursing herself so, she decides to let it slide. She nods, signaling he should introduce himself first, take away the fact that he’s still a stranger inside of her childhood home.

“I’m Aaron, my last name is Coady. I was born in Newton Iowa and moved to Pittsburgh when I was 12, I’m 21 now. No siblings, no dad, just me and my mom. Favourite colour is black, and I have a pet cat who is more of a lady-charmer than I am, they wouldn’t let me take him on the plane with me.” Aaron was pissed that they wouldn’t let him bring on Cerrone, he’d always been a comfort to him and he certainly needed the fluffy cat’s presence to get him through this whole ordeal. He wasn’t sorry about his abrupt and curt introduction, if that’s the way the blonde wanted it, then so be it. He jerked his head at her. “Your turn.”

“My name is Alaska, last name Honard….” she drags on, eyeing Aaron up and down. “You already know my parents, I was born in Pennsylvania until we moved here to Los Angeles when I was younger. I love reading about space and astronomy and I love stars.” She shuffled uncomfortably on the couch. “And I love cats…” she said, barely audible, turning her head away from Aaron, not wanting to make eye contact. Her stomach churned and she felt numb and strange. She wished that Aaron had never even showed up in the first place, that her parents had never even made this ridiculous deal, but yet, here they were.

There wasn’t a direct click between them despite having some common ground. Perhaps it was the weight of the situation that was pushing them apart, and just maybe, Alaska thought, that was for the better. They less they got along, the more probable it was for both their parents to call off the whole engagement thing, right? It sounded logical to her.

She lowered her voice, “listen I don’t want this and neither do you so, I suggest we pretend to just not get along and maybe they’ll call the whole thing off.”

“You want to bicker like five year olds?” Aaron questioned sarcastically. Alaska nodded, it was exactly what she meant.

“Very well, it’s not like I’d imagined spending my life with someone who has more bowed legs than a baby deer, and is so lean and lanky that she probably can’t even hold her liquor.”

His voice is raised but not obnoxiously so, he is being loud on purpose. Alaska sat back, mouth slightly agape, she hadn’t expected him to go in just like that. She was happy she had decided to follow along with their plan, but that didn’t mean it still didn’t sting a little to hear.

“And I never planned on giving myself to some alcoholic, gap-toothed, country boy who’s a grown man but still uses his bandanna and little itty bitty kitty cat as a security blanket!” she snapped back in the same volume. Part of her was afraid she had gone in too harsh, but that was the point, wasn’t it? To look like they despised each other? She looked away from Aaron, not wanting to gauge his reaction.

Both of them were hurt, but secretly hoping that her parents would catch second wind of what was going on and call the whole thing off. Alaska thought back to the many, many times she was very nearly about to come out to her parents, tell them the truth about who she really loved. She mentally scolded herself for being too much of a coward to say anything because maybe if she had said something sooner, they could’ve avoided all of this trouble.

Yet, they hadn’t. Luckily for the both of them, her mother had caught wind of the manner in which they were talking and pitched in from the kitchen that they should go out and get groceries for tonight’s dinner, maybe they could bond some more over that.

Alaska grumbled and Aaron sighed, signalling their distaste for each other as well as the idea to go out. The leggy blonde got up easily from the armchair and strided to the door, looking over her shoulder. “You coming?” she asked, “or do my deer legs move too fast for the country boy to keep up with?” she raised an eyebrow, feeling cocky.

“I’ll have you know,” Aaron snapped as he stood and walked over, “that where I’m from, we hunt and shoot deer.” He glowered at her. The blonde had more of an attitude than he had expected. 

Alaska gulped and resorted to not responding as she put on her obscenely yellow coat and stepped outside, waiting for Aaron before shutting the door with a loud bang.

“Do you really hunt and shoot deer?” She sounds small and quiet as she speaks, confronting the idea of dead baby deer. She doesn’t like it.

Aaron looked down at the small girl in her shockingly bright coat. “I haven’t, most of the men in town have though,” he admitted. He knew they were trying to be harsh to each other to call this off, but he was afraid he had scared the blonde a little too much, deciding to pull back a little.

Alaska looked away from him. Despite his cold demeanor, she couldn’t imagine cat-loving, bandana-wearing Aaron being anywhere near capable of killing or harming another animal. She was shaken out of her thoughts when a plump raindrop fell on the tip of her nose, making her scrunch up her face. It was just what they needed, rain. They hadn’t even purchased one of the required items and the weather was already getting them down.

The blonde went to button up her coat and re-tie her scarf, “well then, guess the man above isn’t happy with our engagement either.”

Aaron looked up and noticed the oncoming rain clouds and felt his heart drop to his stomach. Great, just perfect timing. “You mean if there was a man above,” he corrected her. Aaron gulped as he thought, if there truly was some entity above, then they must be having a real fun time screwing him over with first, a botched engagement, and now, rain. To any ordinary person rain would have just been a minor issue but Aaron took it personally and felt unsure.

“Why’d you say that?” Alaska mused, humoured, “don’t tell me you’re a Satanist-”

Now that she looked up, Aaron’s gone from her side. She panicked, frantically spinning in circles as she looked for where he might have gone off to. Alaska was afraid she had struck some chord of truth with her joke, but he wouldn’t run off for no reason. Besides, she had to return home with him or else things would look suspicious. So, she set off in the rain to find him.

Her footsteps splashed loudly as she dashed about. There weren’t many places around for someone to hide. If he really did want to run he only could’ve gone straight ahead, it wasn’t like either of them wanted to be at her house anyway.

Trying hard to see through the now thick curtain of rain, Alaska vaguely noticed a figure far ahead, but couldn’t make out their features. “Aaron!” she called out, hoping maybe it was him. The figure took off at a mad dash, leaving Alaska stunned. This had to be him, why else would a stranger run?

Alaska followed suit, being careful not to slip and fall as she chased after this figure. She knew they didn’t want to marry each other, but this was a little too much. As she got closer and her image became clearer, she realized that this figure didn’t look like that of Aaron. She couldn’t see a face yet, but the person running in front of her was definitely wearing the same clothes as Aaron but, had the body and curves of a woman!

Dumbfounded she tried to catch up, nearly stumbling and falling over. “Aaron, please!” she called out. This was far too much and it was making Alaska’s head hurt. Finally, when she got close enough, she reached forward and grabbed this strange girls shoulder, whipping her around to see who she really was, and why on earth did she look like Aaron. She didn’t get much time to inspect her because whipping her around in the middle of running caused them to collide and tumble to the ground.

Completely soaked, Alaska parted the wet strands of hair that had fallen into her face and blinked a few times to get the water out of her eyes. In front of her a sat a woman, in a suit, with short blonde hair and the same nerdy glasses. Alaska continues to look her up and down, shaking her head and flushing as red as a tomato when she realizes that she’s staring.

The stranger has wrapped one arm around themselves and is rubbing their upper arm, “Sorry if I accidentally hurt you when I bumped into you,” Alaska apologizes. She seems to be too big for her clothes, the shoulders of the leather jacket being far too wide and the pipes of her trousers being way too short, exposing socks with ghosts on them. Alaska is getting the strangest of vibes, there was no way that this was Aaron. This was a girl, clearly! But then, her appearance is identical, from the stupidly big glasses to the bandanna. Alaska opens her mouth to speak but she only stutters, giving up when the girl gets up and helps her stand.

“Thank you,” she mumbles a bit shyly, trying to brush the mud off her coat and failing. “I didn’t catch your name?” 

The stranger rubs the back of their head and ruffles their hair for a while, gaze turned down to the ground. Surely one knew their name. Then, suddenly she’s offered a thin hand to shake, “Sharon. It’s Sharon.”

The similarities of the names does not slip past Alaska and she tilts her head in curiosity, not quite letting go of Sharon’s hand. Could she and Aaron be siblings? Friends? Or was this all just some crazy coincidence and had Alaska lost Aaron in the rain? Realizing how strange she must look to the girl, she straightened up and let go of her hand. 

“You didn’t happen to see anyone come by who looks similar to you, did you? You know, same appearance just… a guy?”

Sharon shakes her head, “nope, don’t think I have. Does the he you’re looking for have a name? I might know him.”

“Aaron,” she said, “Aaron Coady?” She hoped that maybe the strange, pretty girl somehow knew him. The odds were slim but she could try.

Sharon looked at her, thoughtful. “Aaron? Yeah I know him. I know him really well, stupidly. Just haven’t seen him in a while.” Alaska was shell-shocked that Sharon actually knew him, but extremely grateful that she at least had a place to start now.

“Well, where did you last see him?” she asked, dragging her words out hopefully. Sharon shrugged, she seemed to debate what to answer. It was something Alaska noticed she did a lot and it was a bit strange. It wasn’t that hard of a question, really.

“If I said that I last saw him in the mirror that hangs in the hall to the living room of your house, would you be shocked? It sounds stupid I know,” she grinned, bearing a set of pearly white teeth with a gap in the middle. “I was going to lie about this, you’re better off not knowing, honestly.” 

Alaska’s mouth was agape, that just sounded ridiculous. She wanted to speak up and object but Sharon was a little bit faster than her, “just hear me out for a second Alaska.” 

There was all the technical proof that she needed, all the similarities on top of this ‘stranger’ knowing her name was enough to confirm that she hadn’t really lost Aaron in the rain.

“This,” Sharon gestured up and down her whole body, “is me. I am Aaron. I know, I’m a girl right now, but there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for that…well…there’s an explanation for that. I’m not saying it’s reasonable.”

Alaska, gathering her bearings, looked her up and down again before stepping up. She sighed, “okay… you’ve got time enough to explain while I get everything we need for dinner.” Sharon nodded, again pausing and gathering her words before she spoke up. 

“This is gonna sound strange,” she warned, “but you have to believe me.” Sharon trailed after Alaska as she picked out a shopping cart and rolled ahead with it. “It started when I was twelve, I have no idea how and or why but I was playing outside with my cousin from Iowa who had come over for the summer and he threw the football a little bit too far and while I was trying to reach it I tripped and fell into a lake, next thing I know I’m a skinny teenage girl.”

Alaska raised an eyebrow and her eyes grew big. “I, uh-…I don’t understand. I’m gonna need a little bit more explanation than that.” She dragged on. True, Alaska saw the transformation from man to woman right before her eyes, but she found it hard to believe that just a dip into a lake could cause you to change genders and appearance completely. 

Sharon hesitantly hobbled after Alaska, something the other may not have guessed was very unlike her. She watched her load different things into the cart and cross them off the little list she’d taken with her from home, a good moment to continue explaining.

“The mecha- me- mechanism,” she struggled illiterately, “is pretty simple, cold water gets me like this, warm water undoes it.”

Alaska looked at her up and down, her eyes wide. “So, if we get you under warm water…you’ll be Aaron again?” She knew that she eventually had to change her back to her male persona, but part of Alaska wanted her to stay a girl. Sharon was much easier to talk to, less snippy and snarky than Aaron and if Alaska was being quite honest with herself, Sharon was very pretty as well. But, she knew that if she left home with Aaron and came back with some strange looking girl her parents didn’t know, things would start looking a little off. “We better change you back, I do not want my parents to notice this.” 

Sharon huffed, “me neither, I wasn’t even going to tell you and that says a lot considering that we’re pretty much matched together.”

Alaska briefly looked down and shuffled her feet before rolling the cart up to the cash register to unload and pay. “You’re not the only one with a secret, Sharon. I can tell you that much.”

Sharon cocked her head and batted her eyelashes, staring at the blonde. She raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” she quipped with a sly smirk. “Well you know what they say, an eye for an eye. I told you my secret…you can tell me yours….” she sing-songed teasingly, desperately wanting to know the juicy details.

Alaska fell quiet, handing over some money, “it’s not like I told you to tell me, I didn’t.”

Sharon felt a little hurt. “No, you didn’t. But I trusted you. I bared my heart and soul to you with something I’ve been dealing with since I was just a brat. You can trust me too, you know.” she said the last part more softly, not wanting to tease her, but truly wanting her to know that she could be trusted with whatever it was Alaska was talking about.

Alaska shuffled her feet and looked away, chewing on her lip. Could she finally tell the truth? Aaron and Sharon, whichever of the two it may be, were still a stranger to her. But perhaps it was that which made it a good idea to just say it.

She took the change from the cashier and stuffed it into her pocket. Looking back at Sharon with nerves that made her heart flutter, she just decided to let the words spill out, finally lifting a weight off her shoulders.

“I’m gay, I’m really, really gay. I haven’t told my parents, no one knows. I haven’t told anyone at all. And I don’t want to marry with a man, no offence, to me it just doesn’t feel right. I am sure you’re a nice one Aaron but, I just can’t.”

Sharon nodded in stunned silence. There was a million different things that she imagined the blonde was going to say, but she wasn’t expecting her to come out and drop such a bomb. She was fine with it, to each their own she thought, and she didn’t even want to marry her either, be it as a girl or as a guy. But, she felt quite sorry for Alaska that she had to keep this in for so long and was now getting forced into marrying someone she didn’t even want to because of it.

“Wow…” she chuckled, “thank you for trusting me with that. I know it must’ve been hard for you,” she spoke softly. Alaska looked up and into Sharon’s eyes, trying to gauge her feelings, and she could tell that Sharon was speaking sincerely and honestly. Alaska gave her a watery smile.

“Thank you, I’ve always been so scared to tell someone,” she let out a long sigh. Despite her newfound confession and Aaron now being Sharon, she knew deep down inside that they had to change him back, she had to marry him, she couldn’t tell her parents the truth; and didn’t think Aaron would want to tell them about this either. A lot was being placed on her shoulders. Normally, Alaska would throw a tantrum and whine about this, but staring back at Sharon, she knew she had to put on her game face and suck it up, even if it didn’t feel right.

Putting the groceries in bags and navigating herself back outside she waited at the door for Sharon to follow before asking something that had been on her mind for a little bit now. “Sooo, now that the rain’s cleared, do you still stay this way or-?”

Sharon shook her head before she’d even finished proposing her question, “nope, I wish it were that easy, hot water doll, that’s the only way.” 

Alaska blushed fiercely as she realized that they had to get Sharon under warm water, and one of the only sources of warm water in her house, was to take a shower. The bathroom was right next to her room, so if they could sneak through her bedroom window and into the shower without being noticed, they could pull the whole thing off.

“Well, u-um….” she stuttered, her cheeks getting even more pink, “we have to change you back before my parents see and uhm- I think I think I know how.”

“Well then, out with it, how?” Sharon pushed impatiently. Alaska chewed on her lip and giggled girlishly. She mentally scolded herself for behaving like this, but she couldn’t help herself.

“We, uh, need to get you into the shower…” she smiled, looking away nervously. “We can sneak in through my room which is next to the fire escape and uh-I’ll have to help you get in…” She quickly added for good measure, “I won’t look. It’s the only way we can get you changed back without my parents noticing.” She couldn’t lie, she was tickled pink at such a silly thought, but it was something that had to be done.

Sharon felt her pale cheeks heat up and she stared at Alaska with big eyes. “Alright, sounds like a plan but, what about my clothes? My spare ones are still in my suitcase which I put in the hallway and I might be beautiful and stupid but, leaving wearing one thing and coming back with something else on is kind of strange.”

Alaska cursed under her breath, looking up into the light blue sky to maybe ask whatever was out there for a solid answer; then it hits her. “Just leave them at the door, I’ll put them in the dryer!”

Next to her Sharon nods thoughtfully. It’s quiet for a while but, it’s not an awkward quiet. It’s a content quiet, one where both enjoy the silence that reigns around them. It isn’t until a few streets down that Sharon speaks up. “You have questions, I can tell. Go on, be ballsy and ask them,” she encourages. Caught off guard, Alaska falters for a moment before formulating her first question; one of many to come.

“Are you uncomfortable being a girl?” she asks quietly, afraid to say something wrong. She can imagine that it would be, seeing as Aaron had of course grown up as a regular boy. Maybe it was a stupid question to ask, maybe not. She bordered on feeling the former; Aaron didn’t look uncomfortable as Sharon, but maybe he was really good at hiding it. She bordered on feeling the former; Aaron didn’t look uncomfortable as Sharon, but maybe he was just really good at hiding it.

Sharon shrugged, “I used to. It was just really strange to suddenly be a girl the first few times, but you can get used to everything. It’s helped me out with a lot of different things, I am a lot better around women nowadays, if you catch my drift.”

Alaska tripped over her own two feet as she realized what she was implying. That was an answer she hadn’t been expecting. Then again, neither is her own next question because she blurts it out before realizing that she has.

“Have you ever slept with a girl then?” she asks, blushing fiercely.

Sharon smirks, clearly understanding the effect she is having on Alaska. “As a man, once or twice. As a girl? no, I haven’t. But I’ve seen myself plenty of times.”

One sharp intake of air later and some quiet after a surprising answer, Alaska apologizes for the way she responded. She should be more appreciative of Aaron being so open with her. And on top of that, it’s not like she’s never gone there either.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosey, I’m just-…curious,” she didn’t want to make Sharon feel uncomfortable but then, it was her who had instigated the whole conversation. As they walked, Alaska looked up at Sharon, she was quite beautiful, and wanted to ask if she’d ever want to sleep with a girl. She kept the question to herself instead, perhaps that would cross the line on normal questions about a rather unusual topic.

“That’s okay Doll, I’ve been asked stranger things,” Sharon replied, sounding rather monotone compared to a few minutes ago. Alaska could only imagine what weird things people would ask you nowadays if they knew you were like this. At least then, her questions seemed to be normal and polite.

“Alaska? Can I ask you one thing before we break into your damn house?”

Alaska nodded, her hair bouncing, “yeah, sure, an eye for an eye right? what’s up?” she pitched as casually as possible. Sharon hesitated before speaking up, chewing on her lip.

“You’ve got to promise me not to tell anyone about any of this. Not even because you want to break up our marriage. I don’t want this either but, don’t use me as an excuse.”

“I would never!” Alaska exclaims, shocked. She’s hurt that Sharon would even say such a thing. But she can also imagine that Aaron would have faced a lot of hardships because of his affliction. It’s not his fault the world can be cruel.

Just to be safe Alaska adds, “you’ve actually become a lot more human to me now because of it.” Looking her up and down, realizing she did begin to see Sharon in a different light, she continues, “thank you for trusting me with this. I promise your secret is safe with me.”

Sharon sighed softly, a small little grin on her face. After living so long with having to hide and conform, she learned how to celebrate the little things, like someone being kind enough to accept you for who you are. This was one of those moments.

Somewhere between revelations, confessions and way before either had realized it, they had made it home much quicker than they had left it. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, Alaska put a finger to her lips, signaling Sharon should be quiet and to follow her. They tiptoed towards the side of the house where the fire escape was.

Normally, the noisy metal thing would fall down with a clang every time the ladder was brought down, but Alaska was careful to reach up with limber hands and drag the ladder down as slowly as possible. She gingerly climbed up first, turning around and offering a helping hand to Sharon.

She reached up and let Alaska pull her up, using her footing as quietly as she could to give herself a boost. Reaching up to unlatch the lock on the outer window, the two girls quietly shimmied into Alaska’s room. The blonde scurried over to the door and peeked her head out. Thankfully, her parents were downstairs, no action in the hallways.

She pulled the bags with groceries inside and put them in the hall. Sharon gave her his coat and quietly followed after her into the bathroom. Here there was a tile floor, which was way less noisy than the wooden floors everywhere else.

“Alright, listen. I’m going downstairs with all the things,” she whispered, “I’m going to smack the door as if I’m coming inside, to feign coming home. After that, wait for about twenty seconds before turning on the water, as if you have gone upstairs. I’ll just tell them you wanted to freshen up before dinner because you’re a gentleman like that. Leave your clothes outside and I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”

Sharon nodded in understanding and Alaska turned on her heels to go downstairs. “Wait! Alaska,” Sharon whisper-hissed. Alaska turned and gestured for Sharon to be quieter.

“Which one is the cold water tap and which one is the warm water one?”

“Left is cold, right is warm,” Alaska answered in hushed tones before pointing out that the towels were on a rack in the bathroom, “anything else?”

“Bring my suitcase up with you?” Alaska nodded, quietly running downstairs before Sharon could say anything else. Practically flying down the staircase, she made sure to land on the last step as gingerly as possible. Turning the knob of the door quietly, she opened it, then threw it closed with a bang.

“Mom, dad, we’re home!” a few minutes passed, and right one cue Alaska heard the shower head turn on and the water start to pour. She went into the living room and handed over the bags with the groceries. When her mother didn’t ask questions, she decided to clarify things herself. It was just to make the situation feel more natural, she was usually quite chatty around her mom.

“Sorry for the lateness!” she laughed nervously, hoping that her attitude didn’t seem too out of the ordinary. “We decided to wait out the rain.” It was a perfectly reasonable explanation, truly. “Aaron got drenched though, so he went to go clean up!”

Even Alaska was surprised at herself for being able to so quickly fabricate an excuse. Thankfully, her parents bought it, as they smiled and nodded at their daughter.

“That’s alright,” her mother smiled, “just go tell him not to take long, I’m going to start on dinner so it’ll be ready sooner than later!”

Alaska rushed into the hallway and snatched up Aaron’s suitcase on the way up. She set the case down in her bedroom and moved the bedside table aside to fit in the spare mattress. almost bursting in the bathroom. Perhaps that came across as over-eager, sleeping in the same room as someone she barely knew. But her room was the only one big enough to fit a spare bed.

Shaking the thought aside, she hoped no one else in the household would think twice about it either. Awkwardly sitting on the edge of her bed, Alaska’s long fingers tapped impatiently against her legs. Then she stood up again with a start. Slightly swaying she walked over to the bathroom, the water was still running.

She knocked three times. There’s not a single change in the pattern of sounds whatsoever. She sighs quietly before knocking one more time, “Aaron, mom says dinners ready soon. Please don’t take long!”

‘And be eco-friendly by sparing some water’, she mentally adds.

She lingers by the door for a little bit. She’s not sure if he’s heard her. Then there’s an end to the endless stream of water and a rather raspy, less smooth, voice pipes up from behind the door.

“Sure thing, be right up. There’s a spare suit in my case, would you mind getting that for me? And today please, it’s fucking cold”.

“Okaaaay, be right back.” Alaska sighed and smiled. So he was Aaron again, they had pulled it off without anyone being the wiser. Thank whatever God for that.

She’s not sure how she feels about rummaging through his belongings without him being there. It feels awkward and incorrect. She would most definitely not like it if someone went through her things without asking. He had given her permission to do it but she was still hesitant when she pulled at the zipper of the case.

Buried almost instantly underneath a mountain of clothes, both for Aaron and Sharon apparently, she has to look for a little bit before she finds his suit. It’s just the same light grey as the other one had been so it’s easy to spot. She also picks out a white blouse for underneath, and fresh boxers too.

With her back turned toward the door she knocks a few times and clears her throat, “I’ve got your clothes!” she proclaims, blushing red like a tomato, “I swear I’m not looking!”

With a click the door opens behind her and all the steam escaped from the bathroom, assaulting her with a short but powerful wave of heat. She holds up his clothes on her left side and she feels him take them. That’s when she spots his wet clothes lying on the floor still. She sees an opportunity and swipes them up, quickly escaping the scene.

It’s quiet for a good few seconds before she hears Aaron burst into laughter while she’s hanging his clothes to dry over the small radiator in the corner of her bedroom. His bandanna is all crumpled up so she tries to straighten out the fabric. Besides holes there are little white hairs on it and she figures those are of his cat. She recalled how upset he was before when he had mentioned that he couldn’t take his cat with him to L.A. The bandanna was probably just a reminder of his furry friend waiting for him at home.

Alaska, mauling over the situation that they’re both in, takes the rest of the time before dinner to put his clothes back into his case, feeling rather guilty about the mess she’s made. Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear nervously and still feeling her cheeks rather pink, she continued to pick up clothes from the floor.

Finally dressed, Aaron stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel, ruffling it up. He strode over to Alaska’s room only to find her bent over with her butt in the air, quietly picking up everything from the floor in an attempt to clean up his clothes. For the first time since he has met her she seems calm and less on edge. She looks just like a teenage girl without any problems who’s just cleaning up her room because her mother told her to do so. He laughed huskily, cocking his head to get a better view at the silly blonde.

“Ready for dinner?” he interjected, making Alaska jump and squeak, dropping all the things in her arms. She wasn’t expecting him to come out so quickly.

“Oh I’m sorry, I wasn’t going through your things- I mean- I was just trying to clean up-I…they fell out when I was looking for your spare suit, I’m sorry-” she stammered. Aaron rested his hands on her shoulders and shushed her.

“Hey, hey, hey, lighten up Lasky, shh it’s okay” he laughed. “I told you you could, it’s alright. Thanks for cleaning up.” He smiled at her, a genuine smile, as he was very much amused by how careful she was trying to be. “Now let’s go eat or else your parents are going to think we’re up to something.”

The two scurried downstairs trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. The table was set and Alaska’s mother was setting down plates of delicious smelling food. They all sat and began to eat, but it was very quiet. It wasn’t that the food wasn’t good but Alaska felt too awkward to talk, her eyes glued to Aaron, still in shock that just a few minutes ago, he was Sharon.

Surprisingly, it was Aaron who broke the silence, leaving Alaska amazed with his ideal talent for small talk. He acted so normal and smooth, as if nothing had happened only a few minutes prior. She figured that it was all part of being two people, technically. She wondered if it was hard to switch like that. It had to be. 

“Vegan?” he noted, looking up at her after gently nudging her underneath the table to draw her attention.

Shaken out of her thoughts, Alaska hesitated a moment, before responding. There’s a smile on her face, no one ever really bothered noting it.

“Yeah, it’s healthier, or at least I think so, and it saves an animal or two… which is good enough if you ask meee,” she said shyly, playing with her food before taking another bite.

Aaron smiled at her, cocking his head and contemplating her response. He found it oddly endearing and sweet that she would even consider such a thing, if it meant saving a few other lives. If there were more people in the world who looked at it from Alaska’s perspective, the fields would be greener and the sun a little brighter. 

“Yeah, hehe.” He smiled, looking down at his food and seeing it in a different light. “It is good enough, you’re not the only one.”

Alaska smiled brightly like the need that she’s always been. It wasn’t easy to find someone who thought the same of animal consumption as she did. Perhaps being stuck with Aaron -and Sharon for that matter- wouldn’t be too bad.

“She’s been like that ever since she was just four years old,” her mother pitched in, “she saw a pretty horse when we were out and just straight up refused to eat any animal since.” The blonde could feel her cheeks go red, it’s embarrassment mostly. But she feels reassured when Aaron says he very much went vegan the same way. It was a comforting fact.

He turned his attention to Alaska for the rest of the night, much to the delight of her parents, as they finished their dinner politely. Both discussed their lives without causing a scene or pretending to hate each other, the plan which they had contacted in the afternoon seemed to have slipped into the back of their minds, long forgotten.

“That was a lovely dinner, Miss Honard, thank you so much,” Aaron thanked her mother, who gratefully accepted the thanks, all the while flashing Alaska a look.

While her mother and father cleaned up in the kitchen, Aaron and Alaska retired to the living room. They sat on the couch together, unlike last time when Alaska had been seated in her dad’s brown chair on the other end. It was getting late, but the more and more they talked, the more and more Alaska realized she had started to feel comfortable around Aaron. They weren’t as different as she had first thought, and she realized that she actually liked him as a person. He wasn’t as annoying as he had initially come across and they actually had more common ground than either of them could have anticipated.

Aaron, too, was enjoying spending time with her more and more. He realized that if he was honest with her, she would open up more and talk to him properly. Her answers became longer at some point and the conversation went beyond discussing their favourite TV shows and music.

He talked about what his bandanna meant to him when Alaska asked about it. Apparently his cat, a white black and white Maine Coon named Cerrone, was the only other person who accepted him for who he was, and the bandanna was his. He explained that Cerrone didn’t judge him by what he looked like but instead just went after his scent and loved him anyway. Alaska could tell that Aaron obviously cared a lot about this cat and admired the apparent bond that they had.

The story of how Cerrone had literally walked into his life and had never left prompted Alaska to talk about the two only friends that she had. One was a petite blonde Australian girl named Courtney who had moved here when Alaska was just five years old. Neither had willingly chosen to be each other’s friend, it had just happened and that had been that.Looking back on it now, they had been through a lot together. Alaska had helped Courtney adjust to life in the States and Courtney had helped Alaska realize a bunch of things about herself. Courtney had been her first kiss and it hadn’t even been something that she had asked for. It had just happened and at the end of the day, she had been happy that it had. Afterwards she found that nothing had compared to it. It wasn’t that she was in love with Courtney but, it had helped her come to terms with who she was.

Her second friend was Willam, who was a close friend of Courtney’s too. While Alaska didn’t have that big of a bond with her as she did with Courtney, she liked to have her around nevertheless. Willam was an open book, someone who didn’t shy away from saying what was on their mind and telling it exactly how it is. It took Alaska a while to open up to her because of that but she appreciated her for her honesty and how reliable she was. Willam didn’t have a problem with helping anyone out, something which came in handy more often than not.

“It’s getting late,” Aaron noticed, looking behind Alaska and through the window, seeing that the day had turned into night and the stars had come out. He hadn’t even noticed it despite Alaska’s parents having said goodnight at least an hour ago and being rather observant most of the time.

The starry night made quite a fitting background for the blonde, Aaron noticed, chuckling to himself. He was enjoying that the two had started to open up to each other, but he couldn’t help but feel tired. “I-um…not to be weird or anything, but-…where do I sleep tonight?”

Alaska raised her eyebrows and blushed. “Oh, um-…” she chewed on her lip, “the only spare bed is in my room, you know, one of those pull out beds?” She was embarrassed to be offering something so shabby like a pull out bed, and even more embarrassed that they had to be sleeping so close together. Despite now being more familiar with each other, they were still practically strangers.

Aaron seemed to think over the offer. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice and he didn’t really minded but he was taking Alaska into consideration instead. He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, she had been nice to him after all that had accepted him for the mishap that he considered himself to be. “That’s alright, I’ve slept on worse surfaces. Only if me sleeping next to you doesn’t make you uncomfortable though, otherwise I will take to the floor just fine.”

Alaska shook her head wildly, blonde mane whipping back and forth around her, “ there’s no way you are sleeping on the floor mister spook!”

Both laugh and Alaska offers him her hand when she stands up. Aaron awkwardly takes it and gets up after her, shaking himself as they head to her room. He was touched that Alaska would say such a thing and he couldn’t help but smirk at his newfound nickname.

Kneeling down on the pullout bed and yanking back the scratchy bed sheets, Aaron looked up at Alaska. 

“Now are you sure this is fine?” he asked tentatively. He truly wanted to make sure he didn’t cross any boundaries with Alaska or make her feel uncomfortable. The blonde looked at him sweetly and laughed, her cheeks turning a soft pink.

“Yes, of course, it’s okay.” She was touched that he was being so careful and considerate. “Now go, I have to put on pyjamas and I suggest you do the same, now go, shoo!” she teased, shooing him out of her room so she could have privacy to change, while Aaron changed in the bathroom.

Alaska settled for her flannel, baggy pyjama pants with a simple black tank top, nothing too revealing, but it was comfortable. As she shook out her hair with one hand, and removed her makeup with a wet wipe with the other hand, Aaron waltzed in from the bathroom in a white, wife-beater tank top, baggy pyjama shorts, and his toothbrush still in his mouth.

Once they were both done with their nightly routines, they both settled into their own beds quietly and shyly. Reaching over with long arms, Alaska shut off the lamp, submerging the room in darkness, but still faintly being able to see. It’s partially because she’s familiar with the surroundings and knows where everything stands but it’s an easy guess that Aaron is as blind as anything in this darkness, and that’s not just because he’s taken off his glasses.

Aaron tried to sleep, but he couldn’t help but toss and turn. His back was facing her, but he knew Alaska was sleeping soundly already, hearing her breathing slow and feeling the warmth of her body not too far away on her bed. While he wasn’t usually one to over think past events, today was definitely a day that had his mind racing. Of course he’d known about the arrangement a lot longer than Alaska, but she seemed to have definitely sucked it up better than he had. It still bugged him though, while he could live with this arrangement, he felt bad for her. The poor thing hadn’t had a choice but to confirm beyond her own comforts and wishes.

He felt wrong, his stomach churned and his head spun. He felt greedy and like he truly wasn’t being fair to Alaska, wasn’t being kind to her. Then, an idea came to mind. Moving as slowly as possible, inching ever so quietly, he got out of bed. First he turned back to see if Alaska was still fast asleep, cursed be his poor vision. However, she seemed to be asleep for as far as he could tell.

Then, he began to tip-toe towards the door, looking down at his feet to make sure he wasn’t going to step on anything, his blurred sight making it harder than it should be. The house they lived in was older than it looked, which meant that with a little too much weight, the floor would creak, making Aaron cringe when he stepped, freezing in his tracks to make sure the noise didn’t wake anyone up, before he would continue towards the door again. His journey was over when he finally made it to the door and out into the hallway.

Easily, locating the bathroom, Aaron scurried in and shut the door behind him gingerly. Not risking turning on the light and waking everyone up, he stretched out his hands and felt around in the dark for the sink. Wincing and grunting quietly as he stubbed his toe on the edge of the counter, his hands reached out and gripped the sink handle, finally finding it. Making sure it was the cold water, he turned the handle to turn on the faucet. After sucking in a deep breath of air Aaron leaned down and dove his head into the stream of water, letting it rush over him and fiercely wake him up, attacking his senses. The cold water was a lot to bear, but he kept thinking of Alaska and that seemed to keep the cold at bay.

Throwing his head back while simultaneously shutting off the water, it was Sharon now reflected in the bathroom mirror. She hastily grabbed a towel and patted her face and hair dry, gasping for breath. Once Sharon had regained her composure, back outside she went, tip-toeing her way back into Alaska’s room. One of the benefits of being a woman being that she was much lighter on her feet, and for once that came in handy.

She slid back into bed, sighing quietly as she adjusted her clothes to fit her; all the while thinking that her plan had worked out, until she heard a groan and Alaska stirring in her sleep. She felt the weight on the mattress shift and froze. Waking up groggily, Alaska sat up and looked around in the darkness.

“Aaron…?” she said hoarsely, “are you alright…?” Sharon’s heart beat quickly and she chewed on her lip. What could she do?

“I’m fine, Alaska,” she responded, trying to make her voice sound deep and masculine, knowing herself well enough to mimic it at least somewhat. “Go back to sleep.” Although altered, even a barely-awake Alaska could tell that that wasn’t Aaron’s voice and as her vision cleared and the figure in front of her began to stand out from the dark, she recognized the cropped off, short blonde hair, the slim and curvy figure and the men’s pyjamas far too big for the person’s petite, feminine body.

“Sharon?!” Alaska nearly shouted, trying hard to keep her voice to a whisper and barely succeeding. “What on earth are you doing?!”

Sharon holds her hand up to signal Alaska needing to be quieter, she hadn’t tried her hardest to stay quiet for nothing. It would’ve been stupid if she ruined this now. After a few minutes of deafening silence, Sharon lowered her hands and sighed.

“Nothing, it’s just, I-…” Sharon whispered, but hesitated, struggling to find the words again. “I did this for you. I felt wrong and selfish and I, um… I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.” 

She lowered her gaze, not wanting her blushing red cheeks to be seen in the dark. This was silly. Alaska let out a quiet little gasp. That was the strangest yet nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.

“Oh Sharon…” Alaska crooned, clutching her chest. “That’s so sweet, you really didn’t have to. Nobody has ever taken me into consideration like that, not even my own parents.”

And it was true, Alaska was a quiet, shy girl, not many people noticed her, thought of her or did things for her out of kindness. But then it hit her that her parents would see him for who he was even after they have tried to hide it so well. “But what about my parents? They’ll see you in the morning and we’ll have tried hiding for nothing!”

“I’m not tired, I’ll stay awake the rest of the night and make sure to get up early and shower before your parents get up. Nothing wrong with a morning shower.” Sharon shuffled a little in her bed to get comfortable, then looked up at Alaska with big eyes. “Don’t worry…we’ll find a way to make it work,” she turned to her side so her back was facing her.

Sharon wasn’t even looking at her, but just from pure noise, she could tell Alaska had gotten up from bed. The blonde tiptoed over to Sharon’s bed, drew back the covers and shimmied in next to her, hugging Sharon from behind and wrapping her lanky arms around her shoulders, intertwining their legs together.

“Thank you… for that,” Alaska breathed quietly into the other girl’s ear. She buried her face into Sharon’s back. It was dark, but she still didn’t want her blushing cheeks to be seen. Then again, she had no idea how well Sharon could see in the dark without her glasses on. Perhaps she was as blind as a mole.

“We’ll…we’ll find a way…” Alaska said drowsily as her eyes began to droop close and sleep started to overtake her again. As she slept, she kept her arms tightly clasped around Sharon, comfortable with the person she had intended to hate but now actually liked.

Sharon remained awake for a lot longer than Alaska had but didn’t dare move a muscle due to the girl clinging onto her like that. It was like sleeping with Cerrone, once he was down she didn’t dare move either. It was an unspoken rule and she didn’t know why she was applying to to Alaska also. Perhaps it was because both were quite pure in nature if they didn’t bring out the claws.

It was fine however, a lot of people she knew took morning showers. She could get away with doing it. Despite it being tedious to do this every night and day, if it would help the person who was now stuck with her, she would. It would be okay. They could make this work.

“Yeah… we’ll find a way…”


End file.
